u/Minimum-Option-9387

I’m seeing an opportunity on a cub cadet ztx4 54 mower. It has a Koehler engine, hydro gear zt 3100 serviceable transmission, and the price is not terrible. Interested in opinions.

https://www.cubcadet.com/en\_US/zero-turn-mowers/ztx4-54/47TSAAA7A10.html?fitsOnModel=false#gad\_source=1&gad\_campaignid=21106015379&gclid=CjwKCAjwqJXUBhBNEiwA8BgG7u3UUmeihv9jOeXM9eAKrShRFZhCHliz8oNXkubWQx6RWxob7lhySxoCYzYQAvD\_BwE&start=8

Hello! I could use some guidance from the experts. I plan to start mowing my own grass next spring and I'm preparing now for it. I just cannot get a service to come out to my home and cut my grass for less than over $100/week, and the people doing it now are doing a terrible job. I have a service because I'm allergic to grass, but I'm going to just knuckle down and do it if I want it done to my happiness. I'm unable to push mow it, so I'm considering a zero turn or garden tractor.

First off, my yard (half acre) is a bit hilly. The most severe slope is my front yard which rises about 15 feet over a 25 foot distance. I've had zero turns on that hill that had no problems, but they were larger machines than I'd plan to buy.

Second, I'm a big guy. I'm 6'1" and very fluffy. I've had garden tractors at other properties and been a little worried they'd tip over with all of my weight up so high, and I'm thinking my weight is lower and more centered in a zero turn, but I'm not sure how well that logic works out.

Third, part of my yard, for better or worse, used to be a gravel parking lot. Long story. But the uptake of it is that it is now overgrown with grass and weeds. It'll cost me $15k to have the yard dug out of all the gravel, filled back with topsoil, and replanted with grass. That's not in budget, so I have to keep that area cut. When they've cut it in the past with a zero turn it had no problems and didn't throw rocks, but my priority is making sure the mower won't break if that happens.

Finally, I don't know when the best time to buy a mower is. Should I plan to buy this fall or next spring? Should I consider a garden tractor or a zero turn?

Any guidance you can provide is greatly appreciated!

I’m not super aware of everything on the market today but it seems that it’s very hard to find a new pistol that is both compensated and has a red dot optic from the factory. Is there a reason for that?

My (50M) wife (51F) isn’t allowing me to invest in our future because she’s afraid I’ll blow all of our money then lose interest. We both work full time and make a decent salary. We both have investments, 401k, and savings msg accounts. We live well below our salary and generally any excess money at the end of the month either goes to our mortgage or her savings. With that said, we do have a Grubhub problem and order it most days, but right now we can afford it.
The problem is when I project forward our finances to when we’re eligible to retire in the US at 67, we won’t have enough time working to pay off our mortgage and my truck loan. So we will have to find a way to afford those significant bills on only social security, and the math just doesn’t math. Our monthly bills right now are greater than what we will make together on social security.
I’ve looked into moving back into leadership so I can make more (when I became an individual contributor it cut my salary in half) but the job market is a nightmare right now and that’s not going well. She is basically at the top of the market in her current role. We both also love our current jobs and they are relatively secure.
So I’ve been looking for ways to supplement our income. I don’t want to get a third job for myself (I already am a consultant at one firm full time and a second firm part time) because it’s not likely to bring in significant funds.
Thus I’ve been looking at acquiring a small business that I can own, build, and create both an income stream and an appreciating asset that when I want to retire I can sell and fund my retirement. These opportunities are out there and will allow me to be a semi-passive owner where I basically spend 5-10 hours a week on the company and I have other leaders below me basically run the business day to day. To do this I’d need a down payment of funds I’d source through my savings and investments and then the rest I’d finance through the small business administration loan that the business would pay. It would potentially exhaust my savings and “cushion” but as long as I don’t drive the business into the ground it is still an asset that I could sell at a later date. Basically, I can afford this.
However, my wife is dead set against me doing this and nearly every reason basically boils down to my adhd. She’s afraid I’ll get 6 months into it and get bored, or frustrated, or otherwise lose interest, at which point the business will fail and my investment will be lost.
Now, I am severely adhd (combined) and high functioning autistic and I acknowledge that. I’ve started more hobbies that allistic people will ever think of. She’s been a great partner and I love her dearly. We have a great marriage because we communicate so well. I could just do this without her approval, but that would be a betrayal to her and would most definitely cause major problems that I don’t want to deal with. In fairness, I know myself well enough to know I can’t promise her that her fears are unfounded.
When it comes to work, I’m serious. I have a great career, am respected in my field, and don’t job hop. I have been laid off 3x though. I think as long as this business is a “job” I won’t lose interest and will be able to dedicate time to it.

How can I convince her that acquiring a business isn’t just another hobby? How can I assure her that I’m not going to blow my retirement fund and put us at risk?

For that matter am I biting off more than I can chew?